The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the treatment of children's asthma and, more particularly, to natural liquid remedies that alleviate and/or cure asthma.
Asthma is a major public health problem in the United States. Nearly 17 million Americans suffer from this often debilitating disease. Moreover, asthma morbidity and mortality have been rising over the last two decades. The prevalence of asthma increased by 75% from 1980 to 1994. And, despite the increased use of medications, the rate of asthma-related deaths rose 58% and now exceeds 180,000 annually. While the reasons for increased asthma morbidity and mortality remain unknown, it is hoped that improved approaches to asthma therapy will reverse this trend.
Although inhaled corticosteroids greatly reduce the side effects, systemic side effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) also have been reported. Adrenal suppression, decreased bone metabolism, and decreased growth are a concern in children taking ICS. Corticosteroids also produce overall immune suppression, which results in increased susceptibility to infections. In addition, recent studies indicate that continuous daily treatment with ICS had no long-term therapeutic benefit in terms of lung function because although anti-inflammatory therapy reduced the incidence of asthma symptoms in subjects with persistent asthma, it did not alter progressive lung changes or prevent recurrence of symptoms shortly after discontinuation of therapy. Additionally, two new classes of recently introduced asthma medications, leukotriene inhibitors and anti-IgE, have shown only marginal benefits.
In view of this, there remains an unmet need to develop alternative, safe, and effective asthma treatments. Although a role for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in asthma treatment is uncertain because of the lack of well controlled scientific studies, the use of CAM in Western countries has grown substantially over the last 10 years. One recent study found that up to 50% of asthmatics were using some form of CAM, and that a growing number of asthma patients wish to use some form of CAM.
As can be seen, there is a need for compositions and methods for the treatment of asthma.